The invention is in the field of ballpoint pens.
Conventional ballpoint pens are long and narrow, following the tradition of fountain pens, pencils, and writing plumes. This shape is generally comfortable to write with but is also bulky and at times difficult to carry around, for example when the user is not wearing a shirt with a pocket and must resort to carrying the pen in his pants pocket, which is uncomfortable and risks puncturing of the pocket lining by the pen. However, inasmuch as virtually all presently manufactured ballpoint pens are constructed in this elongated shape, and the ink cartridges are made to fit within this shape, no ballpoint pen has been designed which takes advantage of the entire length of conventional ink cartridges and yet is retractable and easily portable in a pants pocket or a purse.